New York Mets Address Organizational Needs Right Away In 2014 MLB Draft

By Tyler Ruby

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets made their intentions clear right from the beginning of the 2014 MLB Draft by drafting six position players in the first two days.

Much has been made of the organizational pitching depth for New York, and that’s great, but it doesn’t mean a thing if they are unable to score any runs for them. With that in mind, Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta drafted three high-quality position players in the first four rounds, including Michael Conforto with their first-round pick. Conforto was one of the more polished hitters coming out of college. The Mets project him to be a corner outfielder, and he definitely has the bat to meet expectations. Maybe the most important thing about this pick is that he is a left-handed power bat, which is always valued at the major league level.

With their second pick of the draft, the Mets addressed the shortstop situation, which may be the worst position in the entire organization. It’s clear that Ruben Tejada is not the answer, and there isn’t a major-league-ready shortstop in the farm system. That is why the Mets spent their third-round pick on Milton Ramos, a high school shortstop out of Florida. The report on him is that he is a slick, above-average defender with the potential to be a solid offensive player. Honestly, his scouting report reminds me a bit of Rey Ordonez, which would be perfectly fine for this Mets team.

The Mets also selected Eudor Garcia-Pacheco and Tyler Moore on the second day of the draft. Garcia-Pacheco has the potential to be a serious steal as the guy can just flat out hit. He batted .460 this year with 63 RBIs for El Paso Community College. It may be a junior college, but the fact remains that this guy can rake. Plus, his size would project him to become a first baseman, another weakness in this organization. Moore, on the other hand, is as versatile a player as there is in the draft. He played catcher at LSU, but he also can play first base.

New York would later select Dash Winningham and Michael Katz.

The Mets clearly had a planned attack heading into this weekend, and after looking at the first 10 rounds, they have succeeded. They were able to get their hands on some talented prospects, some of which could maybe help them next year, and some that would take a few years to fully develop. Either way, the Mets minor league system has been replenished with quality young position players. Now comes the hard part, making sure they all sign.